← Digital Social Hour
Digital Social Hour
The Hidden Truth About Social Media Reach: Platform Changes Exposed | Ryan Pineda Part 2 DSH #904
00:41:36
🔥 The truth about social media reach EXPOSED! 📉 Ryan Pineda reveals shocking insights on platform changes and the hidden realities of digital influence. From Instagram's mysterious algorithm shifts to YouTube's evolving landscape, get the inside sco
Loading summary
Transcript300 lines
- [00:00]
A
Walks up to me, and she was like, you know, Ryan, I really look up to you as a Christian entrepreneur and somebody on social media. My question is, who do you look up to? And I was like, huh? Who do I look up to? I was like, I don't know. I'm like, I don't think there is anyone that I would say that I really look up to that's like, me. And then it was like, God spoke to me. And he was like, exactly.
- [00:26]
B
All right, guys, Ryan Pineda is back. It's been about a year and a half. Thanks for coming back, man.
- [00:30]
A
It's really been that long? That's crazy.
- [00:32]
B
That's nuts, right?
- [00:32]
A
Yeah.
- [00:33]
B
You got a few new companies since then.
- [00:35]
A
Tell me about it.
- [00:36]
B
Lead Kitchen. That's the newest one, right?
- [00:37]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [00:38]
B
What's that about?
- [00:39]
A
We're doing lead gen for real estate investors. You know, I've been running Facebook ads for my own company. I mean, I've been running Facebook ads a long time, for years for all my companies. But, you know, I started doing marketing to sellers for homes this year, and it was very successful. And I was like, man, you know, like, this is where it's at, because I've, you know, I've spent so much money on leads over the years, and so many people started to ask me, like, dude, how do you do it? You know, like, leads are going up, cost is going up, and, you know, can you teach me? And I was like, ah. I mean, it's a totally different business running ads and digital marketing. Just, you're in real estate. You don't need to, like, learn this stuff. They're like, well, can you just run the ads for me? I was like, well, I guess. And so I. I did a little beta test back in, like, March, April. It was successful. So then we launched it, like, in May or June. And yeah, dude, now we're just running ads all over the country. They're my ads, my face all over the country. They get the leads, and it's going good.
- [01:42]
B
Wow. So you have your own ad agency now?
- [01:45]
A
Pretty much.
- [01:45]
B
Holy crap. Yeah, it's like the 10th business you got, too.
- [01:49]
A
I know, I know. But, yeah, I'm excited about this one because it's easy, you know? Like, we already have the ads. They're proven. Yeah, we just got to run them, you know, in Dallas and Denver, whatever the case is, and, you know, just teach people how to work leads, teacher sales.
- [02:05]
B
A lot of people are struggling with leads right now.
- [02:07]
A
Oh, yeah. I mean, cost per lead. Everything in every industry is Going up, attention's getting more and more expensive. So if you don't figure out how to get your lead costs down, you're not going to be profitable.
- [02:18]
B
Y. Even organic attention is getting a lot harder too, dude.
- [02:20]
A
Everything.
- [02:21]
B
My views are down a lot.
- [02:22]
A
Yeah.
- [02:22]
B
Every platform, everything. YouTube's getting crushed right now. Instagram, I think I'm shadow banned. I mean, the people I have on. So that'll do it, you know.
- [02:31]
A
Yeah. And so whether it's organic, whether it's paid, everything is going up and getting harder. Yeah.
- [02:36]
B
That's social media, though. But I think the tough will survive this. This kind. It's been like. Feel like the past few months, it's been like that really tough, you know.
- [02:45]
A
It'S been going on a lot longer than that.
- [02:46]
B
You think so?
- [02:47]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [02:48]
B
Wow. I was consistently getting 20 to 30 million accounts reached per month on Instagram. And then two months ago, right after the Sneako thing just shot down 70%. I haven't been able to get back to 20, 30 mil. It's pretty nuts.
- [03:01]
A
Wow.
- [03:02]
B
Yeah. I don't know if that's because of him or something, but. Yeah, because he's banned.
- [03:07]
A
Oh, is he?
- [03:08]
B
Yeah. Have you heard of that kid?
- [03:09]
A
I've heard the name. I don't really know what he does.
- [03:11]
B
Nico. Yeah. I mean, it's part of the game. You don't really have on controversial people show on your show. I noticed.
- [03:17]
A
Yeah, not a ton. I don't usually want to talk to him.
- [03:20]
B
Yeah, yeah, you stay.
- [03:22]
A
Well, it's not even that I don't want, like, I just don't even know who's crazy, you know, Like, I've had controversial people on, but, like, I'm not like, looking for them.
- [03:34]
B
Right. Yeah, yeah, you have on like, successful people and for the most part, they're just doing normal businesses.
- [03:39]
A
Yeah.
- [03:40]
B
Who are. Who have been some recent guests for you.
- [03:44]
A
Dude. You know, recently I've been doing a lot more solo podcast and I mean, obviously I've interviewed a lot of people over the years, but I found myself wanting to do more solo stuff. It's. Number one, it's easier, obviously.
- [03:57]
B
Yeah.
- [03:58]
A
But number two, it allows me to talk about different things that I haven't been able to talk about because, you know, when you're interviewing a guest, it's usually about what they got going on. So, yeah, I found myself doing more solo. But yeah, I mean, I. I don't even. I've interviewed so many people like you, so I can't even. Pretty much anyone.
- [04:16]
B
Yeah, you're. You're deep in. You're crushing it with the events though.
- [04:18]
A
Yeah.
- [04:19]
B
Every quarter you're having one now.
- [04:20]
A
Well, we're actually scaling that back. So, you know, we were doing wealthcon every quarter for the last, you know, many years. And I'm going to go down to just a couple of big events a year. And you know, I think less is more in many cases, even with businesses like you're mentioning. You know, I have less businesses today, but going deeper in those businesses, you know, do less big events and you know, when we do do them, do them even crazier than before.
- [04:49]
B
Yeah, events take up a lot of bandwidth, right?
- [04:51]
A
So much bandwidth for the entire team. You know, you don't realize it because we've been doing it for years, but then you take a step back now and I'm like, oh, wow, we're way more productive like, like focusing on just, you know, all the other things.
- [05:04]
B
Yeah, no, I feel that way too. Sometimes when I film too much, I'm like, I need to take a step back and just focus on working. Oh, yeah, yeah. Events. I mean, you have a whole sales team. You got speakers.
- [05:14]
A
Well, you got, I mean, you think about what it takes to throw an event, right? I mean, on the logistical side of the event, you have the venue, you have the food, the catering, the speaker lineup, how much time they have, the atmosphere, the after parties, you know, all those things that have to happen at the event itself. And then you have everything that leads up to the event. You have all the sales, the marketing, I got to make all these ads, we got to spend all this money, you got to front all the expenses, you have to have an events coordinator, you've got to handle all the ticketing and the support and the check in and the follow ups. And you know, there's, there's so much that goes with throwing an event. And you know, we've done it super successfully, almost better than anyone. But you know, you just look at the resources. Oh, and then the media side of it. You know, the media team's got to constantly make speaker videos and trailers and all these things. And you know, whenever you're focusing on something, that means you're not focusing on another thing. And so, you know, you just start to look at what's the best use of your resources and you got to constantly evaluate that.
- [06:19]
B
Yeah, yeah, events are a tough game. Most events lose money, you know. Yeah, most events are trying, just trying to break even. But you're playing the long game out here and I. You've crushed it at building Community, especially with the Christian stuff. I've noticed, like, you've probably built the biggest Christian community in Vegas.
- [06:33]
A
We'll see. We'll see how long, you know, how far we take it. You know, we have Wealthy Kingdom, which is our nonprofit. And, you know, my vision over there is I want to have a thousand small groups across the country. So, you know, these small groups are in people's offices, entrepreneurs, homes, whatever it is, and think we have 70 of them right now. And, you know, I think we can get to a thousand here in the next few years. But, you know, part of doing less, you know, I'll just say secular events is so that I can do more Christian events, too. And, I mean, those are all just nonprofit stuff. So those are just out of pure purpose and passion.
- [07:12]
B
Wow.
- [07:12]
A
And, yeah, I'm excited for where that's going to go because, you know, we've seen hundreds of people give their life to Christ, and, you know, it's been more fulfilling for me than anything, really.
- [07:24]
B
Yeah, I've noticed you've taken a big step towards that route lately.
- [07:27]
A
Yeah.
- [07:27]
B
Rather than just the business stuff, was there, like, a specific moment that caused that?
- [07:32]
A
Yeah, it actually happened two years ago when I was at an event, my event, and this girl walks up to me and she was like, you know, Ryan, I really look up to you as a Christian entrepreneur and somebody on social media. My question is, who do you look up to? And I was like, huh? Who do I look up to? And so I started to think about it, and I was like, well, you know, I got a lot of pastors and people that I, you know, really like. And, you know, I have Christian friends and business people and stuff like that. But, like, who's big on social media, like, being bold, talking about it, living it the right way? You know, I was like, I don't know. I'm like, I don't think there is anyone that I would say that I really look up to that's like, me. And then it was like, God spoke to me and he was like, exactly. And, you know, like, this phrase that's now kind of defined the ministry, like, just popped in my head. If not you, then, then who? And it's like, if not you, then who? If you don't do it, who's going to do it?
- [08:35]
B
Right?
- [08:35]
A
Who's going to throw these Christian business events? Who's going to, you know, launch these Bible studies? Who's going to, you know, create this community, like you said, because no one else is doing it and people are craving it. So who's going to do it? And I was like, I guess I got to do it because I know how to do it. I know how to throw events, I know how to do these things. I just haven't done it. So, yeah, two years ago that was the spark and that's what then made me start throwing like worship services during wealthcon and bringing pastors and other things into a secular event. And yeah, it's just kind of evolved the last two years.
- [09:11]
B
Yeah, well done. You've really embraced that. Did you get pushback from incorporating the Christian stuff into the Wealth Con events?
- [09:17]
A
Not really. I mean, most people kind of know where I stand anyways, just with content and so I don't think anyone's ever surprised. And I think. And I don't even put it in the schedule anymore. Like, it's just.
- [09:29]
B
Oh, it's just there.
- [09:30]
A
You'll just be at the event, you're like, what's going, what are they, they're bringing a band out, what's going on here? And then boom, we're just doing worship music. But I think that what I've seen is so many people walk away from wealthcon and they're like, you know, the business and stuff, like all that stuff was great. But like, I've realized there's this spiritual side that I just have been neglecting and I never felt it until now. Like it's their first experience, you know, being in an environment like that. And you know, a lot of people who, who've thought about church and everything else, they've maybe grown up like thinking it was like Catholic church and like very just structured and you know, strict and all those things. And they come to wealthcon and they're like rocking out and like the, the pastor is, got a, a message that's very applicable to what they're going through in their business and everything. And they're like, I would go to this if this is how church is. And I'm like, this is how church is really? There's plenty of churches that are just like this.
- [10:29]
B
I might have to give it another chance then. I haven't been since I was a kid.
- [10:32]
A
Well, we're going to take you to church.
- [10:33]
B
Yeah, I might have to go.
- [10:34]
A
Yeah, you're out here in Vegas this Sunday.
- [10:36]
B
I will say the spiritual stuff is important. Yeah, I, I was atheist most of my life, but I would say I do believe in something now.
- [10:42]
A
What changed for you?
- [10:44]
B
I've had three near death experiences, so it could have been that my dad passed away recently and that was Kind of traumatic. Yeah, I think it was just a multitude of things, but also having these podcasts, to be honest, just having on, you know, Irwin McManus, people like that really changed my perspective on things.
- [11:00]
A
Yeah. You hear just different people's journeys and stories and. Yeah, yeah. I think, number one, I'm. I'm glad you're open now. Right. Two, I think that faith is in more cases an experiential thing. You know, I think a lot of times with atheists and, you know, I don't know how hardcore you were with atheism and everything, but a lot of it is like logical based, arguing, debating and everything else. Right. And even on the logical side, I would say it's. It actually takes more faith to believe there is no God, then there is a God, you know, just based on a number of things. But in the end, like when, whenever you're just debating with logic, you're ignoring the spiritual side of things.
- [11:48]
B
Right.
- [11:48]
A
And so. Which is what God is, you know?
- [11:52]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [11:53]
A
And so logic can lead you to being open to experiencing the supernatural and everything, which is where it kind of sounds like you're. You're headed, which is great. And so now that next step is like, you know what? I don't fully understand this, but I'm just going to be open to it and see what happens.
- [12:10]
B
Yeah. Well, I studied the top guys and a lot of them have some sort of faith. Like there's very few top guys that are atheists, I notice, so.
- [12:16]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [12:17]
B
You know, I study the top guys and I'm looking at their personal lives, their faith, their business, and trying to piece together things.
- [12:24]
A
Yeah. I don't know many atheists that. That live lives that I would want to emulate.
- [12:29]
B
Right. I mean, I don't know many atheists in general that are really successful, to be honest.
- [12:33]
A
Yeah.
- [12:34]
B
You know, like, I can't think of any. Yeah.
- [12:35]
A
And I think there's a reason for that.
- [12:37]
B
Yeah. But it's cool. Guys like you, Ed, my let, are really pushing this agenda. I think it's impactful.
- [12:43]
A
Yeah. You know, it's funny, when Ed and I met, I had him speak at Wealth Con and I went to his house in. Where were we? At Laguna Beach, I think. So I went to his house in Laguna beach before we filmed a podcast. Literally right on the beach, like his house on the beach. We got to know each other and, you know, he didn't know a ton about me before that encounter, but we ended up talking about faith and other things and he was like, bro, However, I can help you on this mission. I'm game. And I'm like, all right. Just know I'm gonna hold you to it. Like, the moment you tell me you're in, I'm gonna get you. And so, you know, he spoke at Wealth Con. Our friendship developed more and more. And then I was like, hey, I'm gonna throw this big Christian event called the Kingdom Summit. It was here in Vegas. And, you know, I want you to speak. And I was like, and I can't pay your fee. You know, 150k, right? Yeah. Like, so, you know, it's all non profit. I'm literally losing money throwing this event. I lost 100 grand.
- [13:40]
B
Wow.
- [13:40]
A
Throwing it because there's no sale. There's nothing to sell. I'm selling salvation.
- [13:44]
B
Right.
- [13:45]
A
I'm like, yo, give your life to Christ. And, you know, he came and spoke for free because he's so behind the mission and, you know, had a bunch of other. I think you've had Ruslan. Ruslan, yeah.
- [13:56]
B
That was an interesting one.
- [13:57]
A
Yep. So Ruslan was at that event. Great buddy of mine, we had Girls Gone Bible. They were great, you know, a ton of people. And, you know, so he's. And. And I even think with Ed, he's. He even is. You know, he's. He's been a Christian, but I think he's starting to even become more bold in his faith.
- [14:14]
B
Bruce Lawn or Ed. Oh, Ed.
- [14:16]
A
Yeah.
- [14:16]
B
Wow. So you're willing to lose money to push this?
- [14:19]
A
Yeah.
- [14:19]
B
That's huge, man. You really believe in it?
- [14:21]
A
Yeah. I mean, like the nonprofit, I've self funded it for the first year, you know, I mean, it cost hundreds and hundreds of thousands to dang fund the staff.
- [14:30]
B
So this is like your main passion then?
- [14:32]
A
I just freaking try and make money over here to go accomplish the mission.
- [14:37]
B
Did you find when you reached a certain level of wealth where that. That fire kind of dissipated a little bit or. No.
- [14:42]
A
Dissipated in terms of, like, your drive, your motivation? Yeah. I think I've always been a motivated person. And don't get me wrong, I still want to go make a boatload of money. But even when I was broke and I was a minor league baseball player, you know, I grew up in the church. My wife and I got married early. We always wanted to make God. I used to teach Sunday school 10 years ago.
- [15:04]
B
Wow.
- [15:05]
A
Yeah. Like, I've been doing this stuff forever. It's just now out in the open, you know, I used to teach Sunday school. I led mission trips to build houses in Mexico. I've done you know, a whole bunch of things behind the scenes, you know, bought churches and other things, and now it's just like, all right, you know, God's given me the resources to do so much more. Resources include money. Resources include talent and skill to go throw events. Resources include relationships to go get guys like Ed and say, hey, I got this opportunity, dude. We can go make a big impact if you're willing to come. You know, resources with my team and my company where, you know, they're. They're equipped and they. They're behind the mission, too. And so, like, I think it's just more so, like, this momentum has been building for the last decade, and now it's just, like, here, Right. And I still don't. I still think it's building. It's not even close to what it will be, hopefully, in the next five to 10 years.
- [16:08]
B
Nice. And how do you approach the Christian stuff with your kids? Because here's the reason why. It kind of scared me. Like, I felt like it was forced when I was a kid, and I felt like, you know, every Sunday they forced me to go, and some days I didn't want to, and I kind of, like, strived away from it. You know what I mean?
- [16:22]
A
I get you. Did your parents force you to, you know, eat your vegetables and.
- [16:26]
B
You know, actually, my mom used to. She watches every episode.
- [16:29]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [16:29]
B
She used to get pissed.
- [16:30]
A
Yeah. What else did they force you to do? You know, clean your room, go to school, do things that, you know are good for you?
- [16:37]
B
Yeah. So you think, just.
- [16:39]
A
So why is. You know, I. I would. I would argue why. Why was this different than all the other things you were forced to do?
- [16:44]
B
Well, don't you think it should be a choice for the kid to go?
- [16:47]
A
What, am I gonna leave them at home on Sunday and I'm just going, and then they're home alone?
- [16:51]
B
What if they don't want to go?
- [16:53]
A
What if they don't want to go to school? What if they don't want to go eat their vegetables? What if they don't want to listen to my rules?
- [17:00]
B
So discipline, just disciplinary style of parenting.
- [17:03]
A
I just don't think it's any different than anything else that, you know, when somebody's living in your household, especially a child, why is it any different than any of the other scenarios that we're talking about?
- [17:15]
B
I get that. Yeah, that makes sense.
- [17:17]
A
I mean, if I'm giving you your money and, you know, like, there's rules, you know, if you're. If you're an employer, you have Employees, and they don't listen to you. You get rid. Like, now you can't get rid of your kids. Right. So what do you do, you know, if you can't get rid of your kids? I mean, in extreme cases, you. You send them off and. But, you know, I. I've never just understood. So, like, for me, obviously, I'm a spiritual guy with faith, but I'm also very logical and, you know, tactical and other things. And so I have three kids, five and under, but it's like, why is one different than the other?
- [17:54]
B
Yeah, I just. I don't know. I just didn't like the church, to be honest, when I was growing up.
- [17:59]
A
Yeah. And I get it. Yeah.
- [18:00]
B
And that it could have been the church. It could have been a lot of different things. Could have been the teacher, who knows?
- [18:04]
A
Yeah. And I think, too, with faith, another thing is, like, clearly you didn't have a great experience in. In church. And what kind of church was it, by the way?
- [18:13]
B
It was Christian, but it was all Asian people, so I don't know if there's a specific, like, branch or something.
- [18:18]
A
My, My. My wife grew up in a Korean church. She's from Korea. So I know exactly what you're talking about. But I think that there's a number of reasons why people have a bad upbringing in faith. One could be the church and the environment and the pastor, and there could be scandal and, you know, all this stuff. Right. You get mistreated in the church, that. That happens. Right. Another could be your parents. Right. And I'm not saying this is what your parents did, but you see this happen a lot. You know, parents are telling you to do xyz, and then you look at them and they don't do it.
- [18:48]
B
Right.
- [18:48]
A
You know, and it's hypocritical. And you're like, I mean, if this is what being a Christian is, why am I going to want to do this? You know, nobody's actually doing what they say they should be doing. What we have to be really careful of is realizing that, you know, people are always still flawed and still are going to sin and mess up, even when you know they're Christian. But that does not negate what Jesus did, who he was, how God made us and intended us to be. We just choose to screw it up. It doesn't make God bad. It doesn't make Jesus bad, because we still have free will. You know, he was loving enough to give us free will to make stupid choices.
- [19:28]
B
Yeah. I was also naturally rebellious as a kid, so that. That Playful role, for sure. So probably not now.
- [19:33]
A
Yeah. So probably anything they wanted you to do, you probably would have been like, nah.
- [19:36]
B
Yeah, I did the opposite.
- [19:37]
A
Yeah.
- [19:38]
B
I was in the principal's office.
- [19:39]
A
Yeah. If they were like, dude, we don't go to church, that's wrong. They're like, I'm. I'm going to hang friends at church.
- [19:44]
B
Yeah. Yeah, no, it was definitely, I definitely played a factor in it for sure.
- [19:48]
A
And it takes maturity as you get older to like, realize a lot of things.
- [19:51]
B
Yeah. So growing up though, you went pretty, pretty religiously.
- [19:54]
A
Yeah, I mean, I grew up in the church and went to church every Sunday. I liked it, you know, even when I, I went off to college and stuff. Like, I wasn't one of those guys that rebelled, finally getting away from home, you know, Like, I, I stayed true to my beliefs. I still, you know, did all the right things. And by no means am I perfect, but like, you know, it's just like I've lived life trying to. And I say trying because no one's ever perfect to follow, you know, the way that God calls us to live. And now being, you know, I'm 35, so like, like, let's say I'm halfway through my life, you know, I. And I've had a lot of experiences in business and life and I have kids now and I've been married over 10 years. So like, I have a lot of track record and experience of, of like, hindsight now. And I've seen so many people live life a different way. You know, they, they live life, let's just say the party lifestyle, the sleeping around lifestyle and all these things. And I've interviewed a lot of these guys and it's fine. And then I've seen people who, you know, try to follow Jesus. And then I've seen people who. I call them the, I always call them like the, the mindset guys. Like, they're spiritual guys, they don't subscribe to a religion. They're just ultra spiritual. Right. And in the end, as I've evaluated all these people and have seen behind the scenes, kind of similar to you, you just kind of look at the grand total of it all and you're like, I don't really like what their life is leading to, you know? Yeah, yeah, I don't like that. You know, they're still messing around trying to find the next girl and they're 40 years old. Like, at what point does it, like, you realize it's just this endless pursuit of nothing but, you know, and, you know, you See, things like, even in the Bible where it talks about it, guys like, King Solomon, the wisest person ever walked the earth, you know, he had hundreds of wives. And, you know, in the book of Ecclesiastes, he literally says, it was all worthless. I did it all. I had more money than anyone, more women than anyone, more fame, more status, literally the best of the best the world can offer. And it was all meaningless. And that book is, you know, it'd be a great book for you to read because the whole book is talking about how meaningless life is. And if you were to read it as a Christian, you would be like, wait a minute. This isn't. This doesn't seem right. Because life, we're. Life's supposed to be joyful. Life is supposed to be peaceful. We're supposed to, you know, appreciate things. And he's like, it's all meaningless. None of it matters. And at the end of the book, he's like, he. He basically comes to this conclusion after having it all, and he's like, you know, all that really matters at the end of the day is following God and just doing what he says. He's like, that led to the most fulfillment and happiness in my life. That. To summarize, interesting. And, you know, he's like. And then also, too, just enjoying the normal, everyday things of life. He's like, enjoy this, the nice weather. Enjoy the sunny day. Enjoy nature. Like, he's like, those things, just enjoy them. That's what life's about, right?
- [23:15]
B
That's important because guys like us have such big goals and sometimes we don't take time to really enjoy the moment.
- [23:20]
A
Yeah. Like, I've been sitting out in my backyard the last couple of mornings because it's like perfect weather in the morning right now. Even though Vegas is super hot, like, you know, around 6:00am yeah, it's still. There's no sun in my area. And, well, it's like shaded out and stuff, so it's like 75 degrees. And, dude, I just sit out there, I pray my kids actually wake up early, and they're just running around the backyard. And, like, I get what he's talking about because I'm. I'm sitting back there and I'm like, wow, this is what life's about. Like, look at. I have kids, right? They're just running around having fun, enjoying life. The weather's great. I'm just outside. And then, you know, you wonder why people are so depressed. Just watching social media, watching porn, you know, comparing themselves to everyone else, like complaining about their spouse and, you know, you just realize, like, yeah, I. I understand why your life. You think it sucks, right? Because you don't do the right things.
- [24:22]
B
100. Yeah. The porn stuff is nuts. Oh, yeah, it's real bad. Did you cut that out entirely?
- [24:29]
A
Yeah, dude. I mean, I. I've talked about this before. You know, growing up, I was celibate because I wanted to wait till I was married.
- [24:38]
B
Oh, wow.
- [24:39]
A
Yeah. And so, like I said, I tried to do everything the right way, and. And, you know, by no means was I, like, perfect like I said. But, you know, I thought once I got married, you know, porn would go away.
- [24:52]
B
Right?
- [24:53]
A
You're like, oh, yeah. I mean, dude, I'm gonna be having sex all the time. This is gonna be great. You know, that's what I've been waiting for. And sure enough, you realize, like, it's still there, right? And so I dealt with that for many years early on in my marriage. And at the end of 2017, I was in a Bible study, which is why I'm so passionate about starting small groups and Bible studies all across the country, because it changed my life. And so I'm in this Bible study with a bunch of business guys and everything else, and one of our leaders was like, hey, I want to talk. Like, I've been praying, and I'm going to scrap our study that we were supposed to talk about. We're going to talk about porn.
- [25:31]
B
Wow.
- [25:32]
A
And it's, like, obviously a touchy subject for a lot of guys, right? And he's like, we're going to break, you know, chains today, and we're going to confess. If it's something you struggle with, you're going to share it and, you know, let's go. And so, I mean, it was a majority of the room.
- [25:50]
B
Damn.
- [25:51]
A
This is in Bible study, you know, like, myself included, as a guy who's been trying to do things the right way, and I can't break free from this thing. And so, for the first time in my life, I publicly confessed, you know, to all these men. And I was like, yep, I've been struggling with this thing. I can't break it. I feel terrible every time I do it. I feel like I'm letting my wife down. I'm letting God down. It's shameful. Like, I need to stop. And, dude, literally that night, you know, we prayed over each other, you know, the confession. And, like, I had felt something I had never felt before. It was like this spiritual cloud had lifted and this fog had subsided. And literally, ever since that night, I have Never watched porn again.
- [26:46]
B
Seven years.
- [26:46]
A
Yeah.
- [26:47]
B
Congrats, man. Yeah. I'm four years in and I feel incredible.
- [26:50]
A
Dude, four years is tough.
- [26:51]
B
Yeah, no, it's tough.
- [26:52]
A
And dude, like, the fog, the haze, like, my mind got so much more clear, you know? And it's like, you know, before, if you just see something on Instagram, you see some girl, you're instantly, like, triggered, Right? And now it's like that trigger is gone. You know, you still see the stuff and you're like, all right, I got to like, not, not look at that. But it's not this instant thing now that it used to be where it's like, all right, like, let's see what else is going on. Okay, maybe later tonight. Whatever.
- [27:26]
B
Yeah, you could control it now.
- [27:28]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [27:28]
B
I know old friends of mine that used to, you know, do that three times a day.
- [27:31]
A
That's crazy.
- [27:32]
B
And they would be honestly depressed, cuz that that really affects you mentally.
- [27:36]
A
I don't even know how you have time three times a day. That's crazy. Just like, you must not have a lot going on if you, you got time for that.
- [27:45]
B
Yeah.
- [27:45]
A
Because it ain't like some two minute thing.
- [27:47]
B
Well, some people are that.
- [27:49]
A
Some people are, but, man, like, yeah, it's crazy.
- [27:52]
B
Yeah, no, it's. It's interesting, man, because I've been with the same girl for seven years. I see all my friends go down these, these routes of hooking up, red pill, all the stuff, and they're just mentally drained.
- [28:00]
A
Well, you know, like, I've had a lot of the red pill guys on my podcast.
- [28:03]
B
Yeah, you have. Fresh and fit.
- [28:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, I've had them. Who else have I had? Justin Waller.
- [28:11]
B
Sartain.
- [28:12]
A
Sartain. Yep. I've had a lot of them. Sosnik. He's like, kind of. And it's funny because we talk about it and, you know, none of them are, you know, they all, they all have their belief system and it's like most of them are like, yeah, dude, people told me that you. You wouldn't even want us on your podcast. I'm like, I'll talk about anything. You know, like, just because we have different opinions on life doesn't mean, you know, I don't want to hear what you have to say. I actually do want to hear what you have to say to show you another way, because, you know, most red pill guys and whatever just. They live in a echo chamber.
- [28:46]
B
Right.
- [28:47]
A
And so, you know, we just talked about it and everything else, and yeah, I just don't really agree with anything they say. As far as women goes, you know, because I think like the typical red pill agenda is. It's really hard for guys right now, you know, like all these sevens are getting hit up by all these dudes from everywhere. And so now it's so hard for anyone who's not a, you know, a 9, 10 dude to stand out.
- [29:16]
B
Right.
- [29:16]
A
And I'm like, that's just not true. Like, bro, the 910 dudes been doing whatever they want since the beginning of time.
- [29:23]
B
Yeah.
- [29:23]
A
Social media didn't change that.
- [29:25]
B
Yeah.
- [29:25]
A
You know, if you're born good looking, you got status and money and different things, you were going to win in any era. It does not matter that social media exists. And, you know, if you had no skills and no game and none of those things, you were going to lose back then too. Just like, you'll lose. Like, it is what it is. And so to me, it just hasn't changed at all. Like, the cream always rises to the top in every era of life.
- [29:53]
B
Yeah.
- [29:53]
A
And it's just more pronounced that, you know, these guys are having struggles.
- [30:00]
B
Yeah. It's interesting. I remember when I was, you know, in high school and college and I wasn't hooking up with girls, I felt a lot of shame. You know, I saw my friends getting laid or whatever. And looking back at it now, I'm glad I didn't go through that phase.
- [30:11]
A
Well, and that all comes back down to identity, because I wasn't getting laid.
- [30:16]
B
Right, but you were by choice. Yeah, that's a little.
- [30:19]
A
But it's identity though, Right? Right. Because if my identity's in Christ and I want to do those things, then did people still made fun of me? Like, I could have easily felt shame. Like, bro, are you gay? Like, people would ask me that, like, why aren't you sleeping around?
- [30:33]
B
I'm like, yeah, because you're an athlete. D1 athlete.
- [30:36]
A
Yeah. Like I'm turning down girls all the time.
- [30:39]
B
Right.
- [30:40]
A
And I'm like, no, I'm not gay. And you know, it's just like at the end of the day, I didn't let other people rattle my identity. I knew who I was and why I was doing what I was doing.
- [30:53]
B
Right.
- [30:53]
A
And so most people who feel shame, it's. It's an identity thing.
- [30:56]
B
Yeah. I didn't know who I was. I was trying to fit in. Yeah. That really wasn't who I was sleeping around like that.
- [31:01]
A
Exactly. And that's what I think a lot of these men are attracted to the red pill stuff because, you know, in men culture it is this thing of, you know, go get girls and whatever, period. Athletics, you know, just normal frat boys, whatever the case is. And so there's very few cultures with men where it's not Christian would be the only one.
- [31:25]
B
Right.
- [31:25]
A
You know, like. And so, you know, I lived. I grew up in secular culture, playing pro sports and all these things. And so, yeah, I. I was always in the same boat, but I just had a different perception of my identity.
- [31:38]
B
So you really waited till marriage?
- [31:40]
A
Yeah.
- [31:40]
B
Wow. Well done, man.
- [31:41]
A
Thank you.
- [31:41]
B
I feel like that's a rare thing these days. Super rare. Like, I can't name anyone else, so. Well done.
- [31:48]
A
It wasn't easy.
- [31:49]
B
I bet not. So you were what, 25 or 24? 24. Damn, dude.
- [31:54]
A
Yeah.
- [31:54]
B
Now you got how many kids?
- [31:55]
A
Three.
- [31:56]
B
There we go.
- [31:56]
A
I've had sex at least three times.
- [31:59]
B
You want more? Good. You good?
- [32:01]
A
Yeah. I'll have sex four times. Yeah. So hopefully, you know, we'll see. Four or five. Yeah.
- [32:05]
B
Okay. All daughters.
- [32:06]
A
Right now I have two boys and a girl.
- [32:08]
B
Two boys and a girl. And last time we talked about homeschooling, that went viral.
- [32:12]
A
Yeah, it did.
- [32:12]
B
How's your opinion on that change?
- [32:14]
A
Well, you know, my oldest, he's 5, and he has special needs. And it actually has reinforced my belief about homeschool even more because he has special needs. And, like, he doesn't even qualify for a lot of schools. Like, most private schools will not take him.
- [32:29]
B
Wow.
- [32:30]
A
The only school that would take him would be public, because they have to. And then he would be with, you know, like, 20 kids, and he'd get.
- [32:36]
B
Bullied for sure, too.
- [32:38]
A
Yeah. Like, it's a tough situation. And so, like, you know, homeschool is, like, a necessity for us even before that, you know, and so I just think homeschooling is going to become more and more popular as time goes on. I mean, you're already seeing it, like, more and more people are doing it, especially in Christian circles. Like, Christian circles are really big on homeschool.
- [33:00]
B
I didn't know that. Wow.
- [33:01]
A
Oh, yeah. Because of just, like, crazy world views at school that they're pushing on kids and everything else. You know, whether it's, you know, all the gay stuff, whether it's, you know, just weird leftist stuff.
- [33:15]
B
Yeah.
- [33:16]
A
So it's just like, you know, it is what it is. And so most. Like, not most, but many, many Christians, I would. I would guess. I don't have the data to back it up, but I would guess that there's a super high percentage of the total homeschool population. Are Christian.
- [33:32]
B
Interesting.
- [33:34]
A
But, yeah, I think you're seeing more. Even non Christians, like, entrepreneurs and stuff. Realize, like, dude, I don't need to be sticking my kid, you know, for seven hours a day in this place. That's gonna, like. I don't want to say brainwash them, but, you know, whatever. Why can't I just teach him what I want to teach him?
- [33:52]
B
Exactly. Do you get involved with politics at all? I noticed you haven't really posted much there.
- [33:57]
A
Yeah, I posted some when Trump got the assassination attempt and, you know, lost some followers. But I just. Honestly, it's weird to say I just don't kind of care too much about politics.
- [34:09]
B
Really? You don't see the effect, though, on you because.
- [34:12]
A
No, it for sure affects me. I just don't think I have much control over it. So it's just like, what am I going to get mad about?
- [34:19]
B
You know, you yourself can impact millions. You know what I mean?
- [34:23]
A
I don't think I can really impact who gets elected.
- [34:26]
B
Like, you don't think you have a little bit of a say because your audience is tens of millions of people?
- [34:31]
A
Yeah, but, like, I mean, sure, all right. I could have a. A little effect. I would guess most people who follow me already are voting for Trump.
- [34:39]
B
Oh, you have a very right audience. Yeah, yeah, same.
- [34:42]
A
So, you know, it's just like, all right, guys, I'm gonna vote for Trump. Cool. I guess, you know, like, it just is what it is. And it's funny because actually this is a funny take, so you'll probably clip this one. It's funny. I. When. When Trump had the assassination attempt, I. I posted about. I was like, bro, this picture is crazy. Yeah, it's like the coolest picture ever. And, like, one dude just took a bullet, just got up, fist in the air, like the most iconic American picture ever. And then you have this other guy who's currently the president, who doesn't even know where he's at. He's, like, walking around like a corpse. And this guy leads the country, and it's not even like. And nobody can debate that.
- [35:28]
B
Right?
- [35:28]
A
It's just like, two opposite ends of the spectrum. One guy just got shot and is just, like, rallying people right after getting shot. This other guy can't. He literally has no idea where he's at half the time. And so people are like, well, I'd still rather have this guy. And I'm like, are you serious? Like, how could you want this guy? I don't care what you think. Like, just give me somebody who knows where they're at.
- [35:56]
B
Right.
- [35:57]
A
I'll take that over anybody. You know that. This guy. So that was that. And then it was funny because so many people were defending Biden for whatever reason. Right. And then, you know, it gets announced that he's going to step down because nobody thinks he's capable of being the president.
- [36:17]
B
Yeah. That debate was brutal.
- [36:19]
A
Yeah. And I'm like, do you realize how bad. If you were a Biden supporter, that makes you look like you're. You're defending this guy the whole time when everybody says he's, like, gone. So far gone. And you're like, he's not gone. He's the guy. He's our guy. And then literally everyone in the Democratic Party is like, no. Like, he's gone. We cannot have this guy.
- [36:42]
B
Yeah. It's nuts.
- [36:43]
A
Like, how bad does that make your opinion look?
- [36:46]
B
Terrible. But now they're just supporting Kamala, so I have the next.
- [36:51]
A
But it still doesn't discount how bad their opinion's been.
- [36:54]
B
Yeah, well, yeah. I don't forget like that. But a lot of people do, you.
- [36:58]
A
Know, but, you know, it is what it is.
- [37:00]
B
Yeah. What are Christian people leaning towards from what you've seen?
- [37:04]
A
Trump.
- [37:05]
B
Yeah.
- [37:05]
A
Yeah.
- [37:06]
B
Wow.
- [37:06]
A
I mean, look, there's. You can be Christian and Democrat, like, it. You know, there's nothing wrong with that. And there. There are plenty of Christians that support Kamala because they don't like Trump. And for, you know, once again, for good reasons. Trump has, you know, a crazy history.
- [37:26]
B
He went out Rogan today, which I thought was a terrible move.
- [37:29]
A
He what?
- [37:29]
B
He went at Rogan.
- [37:30]
A
Oh, he went out.
- [37:30]
B
Yeah. So Rogan said on his show that he likes rfk. Got it yesterday. And then Trump put on Truth Social today that he doesn't like him anymore, and you should boo him at the next UFC event. So that's a he. That's a bad enemy to pick. Patrick Beth, David. Choose your enemies wisely. I would not go against Joe Rogan.
- [37:46]
A
Yeah. That's. That. Trump don't give a crap. So. And that's. That's one thing people love about him. He just. He. You don't have to worry about if he's, like, telling the truth or not. He is going to tell you literally how he feels.
- [37:58]
B
Yeah. Can't deny that.
- [37:59]
A
Yeah. And so I'd rather have somebody who's 1000% just, like, straight up than somebody who's not.
- [38:07]
B
Yeah.
- [38:07]
A
And regardless if I agree or not. But, yeah. You know, there are Christians who don't like him just because of his antics and Rightfully so. And so, you know, you do got to look at that and be like, all right. You know, like, he is. He's crazy, you know, to a degree.
- [38:23]
B
But he's pro real estate. And speaking of real estate, you still pretty. Pretty passionate about that? Still buying properties out here?
- [38:29]
A
Yeah, yeah, we. We're doing a lot of wholesales and flips. I mean, like I said, that's where Lead Kitchen came from. Because, you know, I've been doing this for the last decade, flipping and wholesaling and, you know, it's like, I've had to adjust my strategy every year, really, for how we're going to get deals. And, you know, I was running TV commercials out here for so long, and then, you know, now we're doing the Facebook thing, and it's working great. I actually think, like, the next year, we'll probably make more than we've ever made.
- [38:59]
B
Wow.
- [39:00]
A
I just. Because we've got it really, really dialed in. And so, yeah, I'm excited about that, man.
- [39:06]
B
Yeah. Dude, I can't deny that I see your ads every day.
- [39:09]
A
There we go. So they're working.
- [39:10]
B
No, you're killing it. YouTube and Facebook.
- [39:12]
A
Good.
- [39:13]
B
Yeah, good. Crushing it, man. And not a lot of people can run ads successfully, so you've really developed a good system there.
- [39:18]
A
Yeah. Thank you.
- [39:19]
B
I think at first, you could run any ad and make money, like, five, ten years ago.
- [39:23]
A
Yeah.
- [39:23]
B
But now you really need a good system on the back end.
- [39:26]
A
Well, you need everything to. To be good at ads. Right. You need good creative. You need great funnels, great landing pages, great sales process, great products. So, you know, 90 plus percent of people who run ads will fail. Just like events. You have to be really good.
- [39:41]
B
Any business.
- [39:42]
A
Any business.
- [39:42]
B
Even podcasting.
- [39:43]
A
But, you know, like, when you're in other businesses where you don't have to run ads, like, so most businesses rely on organic traffic, too, in some way. Right. Hey, let me get some referrals. Hey, let me get some affiliates. Hey, word of mouth. Hey, you know, whatever. Right. So you can get away with that because you have no risk when you have that model. So, you know, whenever people. I don't do a ton of affiliates because I have my own companies that I would rather promote.
- [40:11]
B
Right.
- [40:12]
A
But, like, you know, whenever people, like, dude, you know, just affiliate my thing and whatever, I'm like, yeah, it's easy for you to say. You don't have to spend millions of dollars building your brand and you, you know, talking about it and all this stuff, you have nothing to lose.
- [40:26]
B
Right.
- [40:26]
A
If I promote. Why don't you put some skin in the game if you want me to do something?
- [40:32]
B
You know, I feel that people pitch me affiliate deals all the time and it's usually like a turnoff.
- [40:37]
A
They have nothing to lose.
- [40:38]
B
Nothing.
- [40:39]
A
Like put some skin in the game if you want to, you know, go do something.
- [40:42]
B
Right.
- [40:43]
A
And that's, you know, but, but, but once again, right, if you're starting a business and all you do is all organic, free stuff, you have nothing to lose as far as, like, I guess, time, but like, you could still have success in business following that model because it's the least risky model.
- [40:58]
B
Yeah, absolutely. When are your next events, man? And where else can people find you?
- [41:04]
A
I don't know. This is going to air, so two months. Two months. Okay. So a bunch will have already passed. Dude, you know, it's crazy for as many events as we throw, they are not planned out very far. Yeah.
- [41:18]
B
Okay, so we'll link below. Maybe all your events.
- [41:21]
A
Yeah, whenever. By the time this goes out, there's going to be some definitely events that are out there. Cool.
- [41:26]
B
Thanks for coming on, man. That was fun.
- [41:27]
A
Yeah, I appreciate you, man.
- [41:28]
B
Yeah, thanks for watching, guys, as always. See you next time.